Re-floating of stranded ships



June 9, 1931, v. HUBERTI REFLOATING OF STRANDED SHIPS Filed July 23, 1930 fm/ enzor: ,V- Hmbgvii Patented June 9, 1931 UNITED STATES VICTOR I-IUBER'TI, on BERLIN, GERMANY Ell-FLOATING OF Application filed July 23, 1930, Serial No.

This invention relates to elastic shock-intercepting devices for safely re-floating ships that have run aground.

It has already been proposed for weakening collisions to make the bows of a ship laterally rotatable and it is also no longer new to fix at the bows of a ship a beakshaped framework, the lower gradually ascending part of which forms a continuation of the (eel, for raising the ship in the manner of an ice-breaker on to the solid ice and breaking the latter by its weight.

Such arrangements are also intended to absorb the shocks occurring when a ship collides with obstructions. Practice has shown, however, that the arrangements heretofore known are not suited, in the case of sea-going vessels running aground, coming into collision and the like, to save them in spite of watertight compartments from having these separate compartments filled and from sinking. For, through the heavy impact, when the obstruction is struck, the rivets or the welded joints become loosened, great stresses are set up and in spite of the double bottom, water enters the ship, which as the bows cannot yield, must become heavier and heavier and eventually break.

For overcoming these disadvantages, according to the invention the part of the bow of the ship below the waterline is not rigidly connected with the ship, the ships bow consisting of two parts, of which the part above the waterline as heretofore forms an integral part of the ship, while the part below the water-line is only loosely connected to the ship. This connection must, of course, be so firm that this part of the bow will be held in its position in rough weather.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 shows the fore part of the, ship according to the present invention in side elevation, partly in section.

Fig. 2 is a plan view with the releasable floating body forced back and Fig. 3 is a side view illustrating how the invention operates. Y

The ships hull 1 has a recess 2, which, reckoned from? the bow, is partially filled by a releasable floating body 3 which is adapt- STRANDED SHIPS 470,177, and in Germany March 10, 1930.

'ed to the shape of the ships hull. The float body 3 has an arched'rear wall 4 which rests against a bloc: 6 which is for instance under the pressure of helical springs 5. Instead of the helical springs 5 rubber buffers 7 or other mechanical or h draulic arrangements may be employed. The connection between the ships hull and the float body 3 is established by any suitable suspension means and by a sheet metal closure 9 conforming to the shape of the ship at the place in question, which closure is connected to the ships hull and the floating body only so firmly by riveting or other means that the floating body cannot bebecome detached while the ship is in motionor owing to heavy seas.

I Should a ship fitted with the new arrange ment, while travelling, strike against'an iceberg, a reef or the like, the impact is taken upbythe mostly, submerged float 3. As its #0 connections 8 and 9 with the actual ships hull 1 are not capable of withstanding these stresses, they are. bound to break and release thefloat body 3." As the float body is prevented by the obstruction after its connections with the ships hull 1, from taking part. in the further motion of the latter, it presses against the yielding block 6, which gradually takes up the impact. The ships hull 1 will then rest with its'bow on the float body 3 ou which with its barbs 10, of which it may have any number, can so lock itself to the obstruction-as to be firmly connected to it.

For facilitating the release of the ship any suitable number of screw-like members 11 '85 are provided in the fore part ,of the ship, which can be operated from the deck or some other place, and, when operated, bear against the float body 3, as will be seen by'referring to Fig. 3. When these screws are turned in the clockwise direction, they will project from the ships hull and press against the/float 3 so that by thus turning the screws 11 the ships hull is raised at the bow, as indicated in Fig. 3 by dot-and-dash lines. When the space between the ships hull 1 and the float 3 is sufficiently great, one or, if necessary, several rollers 12 can be inserted into this space, whereupon, after the screws 11 have been turned back, the ships hull will roll down the float due to its own weight or aided and resilient means associated with the Stem by mechanical power and thus get free of the for absorbing the impact imparted to the obstruction without further damage than the floating body.

loss of the float body and be able to continue its journey.

What I claim is:

1. A shock absorbing device for ships ineluding in combination, a hull the bow of which consists of two parts of which the art above the water line is integral with the lull while the submerged part is movable with respect to the hull, means for loosely and resiliently connecting the movable part to the hull in such manner that when striking an 0bstructionthe movable part takes the impact in a yielding manner, said connected means normally holding the movable part substantially flush with the front end of the bow of the hull and being breakable so as to become separate from the hull when the impact occurs, means on the movable part whereby the latter is anchored to the obstruction, and means on the integral stationary part to raise the hull to enable the hull to slide down and be freed from the lower part of the hull and the obstruction.

2. A shock absorbing device for ships including in combination, a hull the undersurface of the bow of which is recessed, a floating body conforming to the shape of the forward end of the hull and arranged in the recess, resilient means for normally holding the floating body forwardly in alignment With the front end of the hull and yieldingly permitting rearward movement of the same when the latter strikes an obstruction, means on the bottom of the floating body to anchor the latter to an obstruction when an impact occurs, and means connecting the body to the hull for normally holding the body in its forward bow aligning position and breakable when impact occurs'so that the hull will be separated from the body and thereby released from the obstruction.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the releasable connection also includes a sheet metal closure releasably connected to the sides of the hull and arranged to contact with the outer surfaces of the floating body.

4. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the releasable connecting means also includes 7 a breakable fastener between the front part of the hull and the floating body.

5. A- shock absorbing device as claimed. in claim 1, wherein the means for raising the stationary bow part of the hull includes manually operable screws operable from the deck and engaging the top of the lower movable part of the hull.

6. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the rear end of the floating body is arched and wherein the means for yieldingly mounting the fioatingbody includes a plunger the outer face of which is arched, and a stem slidable through the'inner end of the recess in the hull In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

VICTOR HUBERTI. 

